The Good Father
The stunning psychological thriller from the award-winning crime writer
by Liam McIlvanney
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Pub Date 3 Jul 2025 | Archive Date 4 Jul 2025
Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre
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Description
IT'S THE HOPE THAT KILLS...
Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with successful fulfilling lives. A son they adore, a house on the beach, a safe, friendly and honest community in a picture-postcard town on the Ayrshire coast.
Until one day Bonnie the lab comes in from the beach alone. Their son Rory has just gone - the only trace left is a single black Adidas slider.
Their lives don't fall apart immediately - while there's still hope (and no body) they can dig deep and try to carry on. Rather it's a process of abrasion, a wearing away of that happiness and normality; a slow degradation, a gradual breakdown - until they'll never be the people they were before. This sort of tragedy impacts a whole town - does the community still feel the same after? What are folk saying about you? Who are your friends? Who can you trust?
When the worst thing has happened and you've lost everything, you either go under or you rebuild, start again.
After all, what could be worse than your child disappearing?
Liam McIlvanney has crafted a masterpiece with powerful emotional depth, that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. If you love The Good Father, download the media pack and tag @Zaffrebooks in your post.
Advance Praise
‘Heart-stopping and heart-rending, this is Liam McIlvanney's best novel yet’ Val McDermid
‘A masterful crime novel. It's a page-turning, heartbreaking story about fatherhood with echoes of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley and that nail-biting, can't-look-away inevitability of a plot which still, somehow, manages to surprise. Beautifully written, this is easily one of the finest crime novels I've read in a very long time.' C.M. Ewan
‘A haunting, harrowing and utterly absorbing study of how far a father will go to protect a family indelibly stained by darkness. A masterpiece that will stay with you long after the last page’ Neil Broadfoot
'The Good Father is a consummate and nerve-shredding psychological thriller, beautifully written and with huge heart' Doug Johnstone
'An unforgettable mix of trauma, heartbreak and human frailty that leaves you thinking about it long after you've turned the final page. This is crime writing at its absolute finest, with McIlvanney cementing his place as one of Scotland's most essential voices'. David F. Ross
Marketing Plan
Having drawn praise from crime writer peers and captivated early readers, The Good Father will be submitted for all major crime-writing awards.
Marketing materials are available for early readers to share their love for the new novel.
Publication will be supported by a global publication campaign, as a lead title in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781804186978 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 416 |
